Carphone Warehouse, Samsung: 15 UK 'Experience Stores' in two months

Carphone Warehouse has agreed details with Samsung for the initial phase of their UK store rollout with 15 locations open within the next two months, Mobile can exclusively reveal.

Last month the pair unveiled plans for a Europe-wide partnership that would see 60 stores rolled out across the continent, and Carphone Warehouse CEO Graham Stapleton (pictured) said the company was ‘excited’ that the rollout was in the offing quickly.

He told Mobile: ‘We have agreed a store rollout plan and the first 15 stores will open within the next month or two and we’ve got the locations for those stores now.

‘We’re very excited about working with Samsung on these stores. They will be Samsung experience stores, but using our help and support backstage Samsung can make sure it can run as effectively as possible from a service perspective.’

Stapleton couldn’t reveal the store locations but said that the ‘experience stores’ would offer a multi-network environment for customers. He added: ‘The equipment will be Samsung, not Carphone, and it will have a premium store fit. We will provide a multi-network environment for customers with all our service credentials. The sales and service engine is Carphone with a customer-facing fit-out and brand experience which is Samsung.’

The CEO also said the retailer would be open to similar offers from other partners, but that Samsung ‘approached them first’.

Stapleton added: ‘Samsung approached us to do these stores and for a big global brand like Samsung to come to us and ask us to help them with their branded stores is a proud moment for our business, and it shows how much confidence they’ve got in our business. We feel very privileged to be able to work with them to get this done.’